However, competition is still keen for the remaining seats, with 803 candidates contesting 427 spots in 23 subsectors. The contested seats have been allocated to professional or civic organizations representing groups such as accountants, educators, lawyers and laborers.

Pang Kin-kee, the elections chief, said Sunday that he expected turnout to be higher than in the previous committee election, in 2000.

"I believe the election will be fiercer this time," Pang said after visiting one of the voting stations. "The weather is also good today. I think the turnout rate will be higher than the 19 percent of last time."

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In the first five hours of voting, 14,390, or 7 percent, of the 204,000 registered voters have cast their votes in 110 voting stations. Results were expected early Monday.

Anson Chan, a former No.2 official who has evolved into a major pro-democracy figure, also called on voters to exercise their votes.

"Today's selection of members who will represent the various subsectors of the election committee is the first milestone down the road to election of the next chief executive. It is therefore a very important day for Hong Kong," Chan said in a statement. Chan announced in September that she would not run for leader.

Pro-democracy parties were backing 137 candidates who support full democracy for Hong Kong by 2012. Since 1997, the city has been governed under a "one country, two systems" formula, designed to give it a large amount of autonomy, although Beijing has opposed allowing all leaders to be elected by popular vote in the near future.

The pro-democracy camp was hoping that enough candidates would win seats on the election panel to support its candidate, Alan Leong, a legislator, in the March election. Candidates need at least 100 votes from the election panel to get on the ballot.

Leong will likely face the current leader, Donald Tsang, who is widely believed to have Beijing's backing in the election.